Oyster White
SW 7637 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Oyster White
SW 7637
Subtle yellow-beige, a warm color
- Color family
- White
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Sherwin-Williams Oyster White SW 7637 is the darkest white on its fan-deck strip, a warm off-white with an LRV of 73, light enough to keep a room bright but with enough body to read as a color against white trim. Our method classes its undertone as a subtle yellow-beige that tips a hair toward green rather than pink. It is the darkest color on its fan-deck strip, and Sherwin-Williams lists it among its top exterior colors, which is where much of its use is: siding, stucco and trim.
Updated
Is Oyster White warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans yellow
Undertone
Subtle yellow-beige
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Oyster White measures warm, with a small amount of yellow and a slight pull toward the green side of it: less than Natural Choice SW 7011, more than White Duck SW 7010, its two nearest siblings. On a wall that reads as a soft greige-white, warmer than a gray and grayer than a cream, and it is why the color goes slightly stony in cool light instead of going pink. Against white trim it shows as a pale putty; beside warm oak it reads warmer and more beige; beside cool gray tile it looks almost green-gray. Natural Choice SW 7011 is hard to tell apart from it, and Shoji White SW 7042 is a touch lighter with a plainer yellow lean.
Oyster White in north, south, east and west light
In a north-facing room Oyster White goes a step grayer and stonier, and the green side of its lean shows a little; it stays warm enough not to feel cold, but it is the exposure where it looks least like a white. South light gives it back its beige and can push it toward putty in the afternoon. East rooms see it warmest early and grayest by dinner, and a west room's late sun adds a faint gold. Warm bulbs at 2700K to 3000K hold it where the chip is; 4000K bulbs cool it to a pale gray-green.
Watch for
- Cool gray tile or a north window can tip it toward a faint green-gray
- Beside a bright white such as Extra White SW 7006 it reads as putty, not white
- On a shaded exterior wall it holds its color while the sunny side goes nearly white
Best rooms and surfaces for Oyster White
Indoors, Oyster White goes on walls, and its strength is staying quiet: living rooms and bedrooms take it well, and it holds up in hallways without a window because it has more body than a bright white. On kitchen cabinets it reads as a soft putty, a good match for wood floors, warm stone and black or brass hardware, but it will look dirty beside bright white appliances. In a bathroom it needs warm light and cream or wood finishes; against white tile and chrome it goes gray-green. It is not a trim color, since it is too deep to read as white against most walls, unless the walls are a real color.
Oyster White on an exterior
Oyster White is one of Sherwin-Williams' top exterior colors, and on a house it behaves like a soft white with a shadow in it. Full sun lifts it to a near-white, so a south-facing front reads brighter than the chip, while the shaded sides keep the greige and look a shade deeper. It suits brick, stone and dark roofs, and it works as a trim color on a deeper body such as Urbane Bronze SW 7048. With Oyster White on the siding, a brighter trim such as Extra White SW 7006 keeps the edges crisp.
Try Oyster White on your own walls
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Oyster White vs Shoji White, Alabaster, White Duck and Natural Choice
Shoji WhiteOyster WhiteOyster White vs Shoji White SW 7042
Oyster White is a touch darker; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
Shoji White SW 7042 is a touch lighter than Oyster White, under two points, and its lean is a plainer yellow-beige with less of the green side. On a wall Shoji White reads a little cleaner and warmer, Oyster White a little stonier. Pick Shoji White for a room with cream, brass and wood; pick Oyster White where there is gray or green nearby and you want the white to keep up.
AlabasterOyster WhiteOyster White vs Alabaster SW 7008
Oyster White is noticeably darker; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
Alabaster SW 7008 is nearly ten points lighter and reads as a white beside Oyster White, which reads as a color. Both are warm, but Alabaster's warmth is creamy and Oyster White's is muted, closer to putty. Choose Alabaster for a bright room or as the trim for Oyster White walls; choose Oyster White when a bright white would look stark and you want walls with visible depth.
White DuckOyster WhiteOyster White vs White Duck SW 7010
Oyster White is a touch darker; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
White Duck SW 7010 is one step up the same strip, a point and a half lighter, and a hair less green in its lean. Side by side the two are close enough that most people could not name which is which; White Duck reads a touch brighter and a touch more beige. White Duck is the one for a bedroom or living room that leans beige; Oyster White is the one for an exterior or a room with cool finishes.
Natural ChoiceOyster WhiteOyster White vs Natural Choice SW 7011
Oyster White is a touch darker; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.
Natural Choice SW 7011 is the closest color on the deck to Oyster White, practically the same lightness and hard to tell apart. Its lean sits a little further toward green, so in cool light Natural Choice can look faintly khaki where Oyster White stays gray. If both are on your list, sample one; if the room has cool light, pick Oyster White, and if it has warm wood, either works.
Questions about Oyster White
Does Oyster White look green or gray?
It can look gray-green in cool light. The color's small yellow lean tips slightly toward green, so a north window, cool bulbs or gray tile bring that out and it reads as a pale stony gray. In warm light and beside wood it reads as a warm off-white. It never goes pink, which is the reason people choose it over whites that lean red.
What colors go with Oyster White?
Sherwin-Williams' own picks for it are Analytical Gray SW 7051, a mid greige, and Brassy SW 6410, a deep gold. In practice it sits well with warm wood, black, brass, sage and olive greens, and deeper greiges such as Agreeable Gray SW 7029. Bright white finishes and cool blue-grays make it look dirty, so keep the whites around it soft.
Is Oyster White good for kitchen cabinets?
Yes, as a putty-colored cabinet rather than a white one. On doors and drawer fronts it reads warmer and deeper than on a wall, so it suits wood floors, warm quartz and brass or black hardware. Keep the walls lighter, such as Alabaster SW 7008 or Greek Villa SW 7551, so the room does not go monotone.
What is the best exterior trim color for Oyster White?
A brighter white. Extra White SW 7006 gives crisp edges and makes Oyster White read as a soft color; Pure White SW 7005 does the same with a little less contrast. Avoid a cream trim, which makes the siding look dull, and avoid using Oyster White for both body and trim, since in shade the two merge.
What is one shade lighter than Oyster White?
Natural Choice SW 7011 sits directly above it on strip 254, though the step is so small it disappears on a wall. The first visibly lighter step is White Duck SW 7010, then Shoji White SW 7042. Oyster White is the darkest color on its strip, so there is no darker step there; among its closest matches, Oat Milk SW 9501 is a touch darker.
Get a sample before you paint
Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Oyster White, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
- Made with real paint
- Delivered next day
- Peels off clean
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